Under the Waste Management (Packaging) Regulations, 1997 and through recycling initiatives including the operation of REPAK, substantial ongoing efforts are being made to reduce packaging disposal to landfill. The policy of reduced reliance on landfill, outlined in the recently published Statement on Waste Management — Changing Our Ways — involves amongst other things, a targeted 65 per cent reduction in biodegradable waste consigned to landfill and the diversion of 50 per cent of household waste from landfill.
While my attention was not drawn to the specific instance raised, I recently amended the Waste Management (Packaging) Regulations, 1997 to provide that a person may not supply packaging or packaged products to the Irish market unless the packaging concerned complies with specified essential requirements as to its nature and composition. These requirements, which were laid down in Annex 11 of European Parliament and Council Directive 94/62/EC of 20 December 1994, are intended to minimise the impact of packaging and packaging waste on the environment and facilitate its recovery. The new regulations will come into operation on 1 December 1998. I am now arranging that they are brought to the attention of the company concerned.
